Ultra 250 Intercooler Cleaning.

Wednesday, June 20th, 2007
Please read the links as they are crucial in completely understanding this junctions point of information.
Well lets start with the purpose of this intercooler.
The intercooler is basically a radiator turned inside out. It purpose is to cool air as it passes over fins. In watercraft, these fins are cooled by water passing through tubes they are attached to. Read this explanation and then come back.
So Ive explained what it does and you should now have a fair understanding of how it plays in the performance. So lets get into when and why we should clean it.
First if you have had the oil issue come up then you will need to clean the intercooler.
Second if you have ingested water then you will need to clean the intercooler.
Third and worst one, if you have had the oil problem then ingested water then you will have to clean the intercooler.
So why clean the oil out. Some say the oil will blow out or help in preventing corrosion. Well thats not all true and worse it will cause the intercooler to operate below standard. This low efficiency will raise engine operating temperatures which takes away performance and can cause engine damage. The oil may also dry up leaving a residue on the fins which act as a thin thermal barrier. In cars it has been tested that residue lined and dirty intercoolers can have a 20 to 35 % drop in efficiency. Most who understand the purpose of emission routed crank pressure will remove it from the air intake track as to avoid residue build up in the intercooler.
Next is water in the intercooler. Its important to rid the intercooler of this as it may be salt water or high in minerals or acids. Allowing water to dry up is never recommended in these intercoolers. Cleaning them is crucial as soon as possible after water ingestion. Mineral deposits or salt built up is ruff to remove from the internal fins.
So I shared the theory of the clean intercooler makes more HP.
Lets get into removing and cleaning the intercooler.
Ive done this two different ways. The first was cleaning heavy amount of oil from the intercooler. I choose to remove it after finding that oil was effecting my BOV and was also exiting from my heat extractors.
First in both methods is to remove the intercooler. I followed the RIVA instruction from the Exhaust Mod.
So I choose to open the sides of my intercooler to get a good look. Once I had the ends off, I realized that the rubber O ring had become oil soaked and was allowing oil to pass through it. That meant I was loosing boost out my intercooler seals. Damn oil get everything a mess.
I chose to use a big cat pan to catch the gasoline that I used to poor though the fins to clean them. Some might want to use other stuff to do the cleaning but remember there is silicone sealant inside this unit so use something safe. With what ever you use just be careful. Ideally you want to be in a well ventilated area and refrain from smoking.This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized %1%2 and weights %3.
Notice I did not attempt to remove the bottom of the intercooler. Don’t, this is where the water flows through the intercooler and is sealed tight and you should not attempt to remove it.This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized %1%2 and weights %3.
So this is the simple part, now lets put it back together…..lol
Let me show you a truly strange issue.This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized %1%2 and weights %3.
That correct. WTF is up with that. It came out just fine but when I went to put it together I got this issue in my face. The rubber gasket no longer fits in the gasket groove. To boot its a Wednesday and I have a race on Saturday. Called the dealer for a new one and they said they had to order it. Go figure, they have over 500K dolls in parts in stock and non of these 20 dollar O rings.
So I had to figure something out.This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized %1%2 and weights %3.
The old O ring. snipped.This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized %1%2 and weights %3.
Vary carefully and closely snipped the o ring on both sides to fit snug but easily into the O-ring grooveThis image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized %1%2 and weights %3.This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized %1%2 and weights %3.
I then added a bead of Right-Stuff around the edge between the o ring and the screw holes. Then reinstalling the end caps and tightening them down. You should see a small amount squeeze out the sides. I just cleaned it up using a paper towel.This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized %1%2 and weights %3.
So thats the long way.
The short way is to not remove the ends of the intercooler but to tape up one end of the intercooler and put in one half gallon of gas and slosh it around. Do this several times dumping out the old gas into container.
Be sure to allow the intercooler to dry completely before installing it back into the ski.